In January 25 years ago , the world turned its attention to Detroit, more precisely to the world premiere of the new Lexus car brand and its LS 400 luxury limousine at the first North American International Auto Show NAIAS. The exceptional driving refinement offered by this eight-cylinder sedan (the first eight-cylinder of the Toyota concern) has since become a typical characteristic and a traditional value of the Lexus brand.
As early as 1983, Eiji Toyoda gave the impetus for the creation of a premium brand, and two years later the first of a total of 450 prototypes were constructed, which were also tested on European roads. Engineers and the development team were not allowed to look back to standard solutions, but to set new benchmarks . After six years of research and development work, as well as the use of approximately 1 billion dollars for the development of the car itself, the LS 400 has reached a stage of development that allows serial production. The Lexus team has registered around 300 patents worldwide.
But the LS 400 was not to remain the only model. In record time, Lexus has developed a complete model range of premium cars, which, with excellent customer service and a pioneering role in the introduction of full hybrid drive, has gained a unique position on the market . Lexus conquered the American market by storm and became the premium brand with the strongest sales there. Subsequently, Lexus cars gradually began to be offered in other world markets, and today the brand operates in more than 70 countries around the world .
All over the world, Lexus impressed not only with its refinement of driving, but also with impeccable workmanship, reliability so typical of the mother Toyota and the most technically advanced safety systems. So far, more than 6.5 million drivers around the world have been enthralled by this magic of perfection . In the particularly demanding European market, Lexus has sold around 500,000 vehicles to date, with a hybrid car share of 94 percent in 2013!
Back in 1990, Lexus offered a then-innovative new car warranty of 100,000 kilometers or 36 months for a complete vehicle. In time, he added the Lexus Euro Assistance 24 mobility guarantee with an incredibly wide range of free assistance services that solve all the inconveniences that may occur on his travels for the Lexus driver. Lexus thus provided guarantees that customers did not even think to ask for at the time. All this within the framework of the brand's philosophy: not only to meet the expectations of our customers, but to anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations. Also thanks to this approach, Lexus quickly anchored itself in first place in the JDPower customer survey and regularly receives the highest ratings in both reliability and customer satisfaction .
The Japanese brand has become a pioneer in many automotive segments. The RX model introduced in 1998 became the world's first premium SUV, and the SC 430 convertible coupe set the standard at the turn of the millennium as the first 2+2 luxury coupe with an electrically operated roof. Lexus had already introduced two six-cylinder sedans: the elegant GS in 1993 and the dynamic IS in 1999. In 2005, the Lexus RX 400h was the first SUV with a full hybrid drive. In 2013, with the introduction of the new generation of the IS model series, the implementation of the fully hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive was completed in all Lexus model series – from the LS 600h limousine to the smallest Lexus , introduced in 2011 the Lexus CT 200h , the first and so far the only premium compact car with fully hybrid drive.
With a distinctive design resulting from the evolution of the L-Finesse design philosophy, the creation of which dates back to 2005, the Lexus brand shows its face even more prominently. From 2007, the Lexus F sports variants were gradually introduced, as particularly dynamic models, first in the form of the IS F model with a high-performance V8 , then as the LFA super sports car with a 560 hp ten- cylinder engine. In addition, all current Lexus model lines are available as F SPORT versions with sporty design elements and chassis variants. The new extraordinary Lexus RC F sports coupe , which celebrated its world premiere at the Detroit International Auto Show, symbolically returns to this place exactly 25 years after the introduction of the first model of the Lexus brand – the LS 400 .
Source: Lexus
